Who, when, where and how.

On a special Wednesday edition of Up To Speed Live, host Andy Choi was joined by Chief Human Resources Officer Christy Pambianchi, who shared the latest on Work Forward and officially introduced our new ways of working.

But first, an update from Hans.

CEO Hans Vestberg kicked things off by discussing the one-year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd. Hans said we need to continue our conversations around racial and social justice — and there’s more that we can and will do — while acknowledging the positive impact he has seen in society.

Hans also shared that he has been on the road the past few weeks, meeting and talking with frontline employees in stores across the country. He’s excited to see customers coming back, both to our stores and soon to our 5G-equipped stadiums and arenas. He’s also looking forward to seeing more V Teamers return to Verizon offices in the coming months.

Earning your Work Forward badge

Christy shared that over the past two months, Work Forward pilot participants have been testing new tools, technology and training and providing their feedback.

We now have 3,200 Work Forward champions ready to graduate from the program. Pilot participants who finished the required training will receive their Work Forward Ready badge that indicates they are certified. The badge will be displayed in their About You profiles.

Once certified, pilot participants in the hybrid working model will have full access to the office and are encouraged to start following their in-office schedules.

Work Forward working models

Christy reviewed the three working models (Worksite based, Home-based and Hybrid), which were determined by the function of your job and the work you do:

• Worksite-based are V Teamers whose work is exclusively performed at a defined work location, including retail stores, garages or in the field.
• Home-based are V Teamers whose work is performed almost exclusively from a home workspace with occasional in-person gatherings for select team-building, training and other activities
• Hybrid are V Teamers whose work is tied to a defined work location or area, but allows for flexibility to work from home and the office with a set schedule that is determined by their directors.

Christy explained that soon we’ll be expanding access to Work Forward across the U.S., starting with our hybrid working model.

We are going to roll out Work Forward with hybrid teams in four waves throughout the third quarter:

• Wave 1: Teams are onboarded in June and have full access to the office by July 6.
• Wave 2: Teams are onboarded in July and have full access to the office by early August.
• Wave 3: Teams are onboarded in August and have full access to the office by early September.
• Wave 4: Teams are onboarded in September and have full access to the office by early October.

Your leaders will share your working model and, if you're in hybrid, your wave by June 4.

Union-represented employees will remain in their current state and we will keep you informed on any changes based on discussions with the unions.

Microsite resource and training

There’s a one-stop microsite for all things Work Forward that has training, policies and digital collaboration tools to support our new ways of working.

As part of the hybrid onboarding, you are required to complete the training and follow weekly action items to become Work Forward-certified. From the start of your wave, you will have a month to complete everything. Once you are certified and have your Work Forward Ready badge, you will have full access to the office.

Support for hybrid leaders

For leaders, we have created learning pathways on how to manage a distributed team. For employees, we offer training around strengthening collaboration.

Directors of hybrid teams will have access to a recommendation tool that will provide guidance on building an in-office schedule based on how your team works and collaborates.

When your schedule is set, your colleagues will be able to see what days you and your team members will be in the office, which will promote greater collaboration and coordination across teams.

After each wave completes their onboarding, they are encouraged to follow their in-office schedules. July and August will be a transition time as we scale the hybrid model across the V Team. Starting September 7, all hybrid employees will be expected to follow their schedules.

While we sense excitement from the V Team around our new ways of working, we also realize it will take time for everyone to settle in and adjust after a truly unprecedented year.

Worksite-based and home-based V Teamers

Just like hybrid teams, our worksite-based and home-based V Teamers will need to understand all of our working models to collaborate effectively and will be provided with training as part of the badging and certification process.

We are working closely with the leaders of our worksite-based and home-based employees to welcome them into Work Forward. Their leaders will provide updates in the coming weeks on the timing and next steps.

The goal is to have all employees up and running in Work Forward by October, with a parallel path for international teams starting later this year. Verizon Media Group will be included in Wave 4.

If you have any questions, email them to live@verizon.com.

Click here for a transcript of the webcast.

Get the latest information on our Coronavirus Resource Page (Inside Verizon, The Street).

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